Rifle is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Thursday. They will host the Palisade Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Rifle comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
Rifle is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They and University were almost perfectly matched up last Friday, but the Bears suffered a 28-27 defeat. The Bears were up 14-0 in the second quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.
The losing side was boosted by Alex Gonzalez, who rushed for 50 yards and one TD, and also threw for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Palisade never let their opponents score on Friday. They claimed a resounding 55-0 victory over Summit. That looming 55-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Bulldogs yet this season.
Palisade's win came from a few key players Rifle will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tristan Brinton, who rushed for 42 yards and two scores. Another signal caller making a difference was Branson Springer, who threw for 81 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Palisade was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 300 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 159 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Palisade didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Aidan Shiao, Jaquiox Bavor, and Kade Croker picked up one apiece.
Palisade is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 33.5 points over those games. As for Rifle, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.
Rifle was dealt a bruising 48-0 defeat at the hands of Palisade in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Bears, Easton Embrey (who rushed for 155 yards and two TDs on only nine carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
